Pussy Riot member declares hunger strike in prison

An imprisoned member of the punk band Pussy Riot says she is going on hunger strike after a judge refused to allow her to attend a court hearing where she was seeking release on parole.Maria Alekhina, watching the trial from a prison colony via video link, ordered her defense not to participate in the hearing Wednesday, saying the court was violating her rights.

Alekhina and fellow band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are serving two-year sentences for an impromptu protest in a Moscow cathedral last year. Tolokonnikova's appeal for parole was denied last month. A third band member was paroled last year. (AP)